Happy National 7-Eleven Day

It's National 7-Eleven Day.

Today is National 7-Eleven Day!

7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.

The first 7-Eleven Day was held in 2002.

GameStop in San Antonio, Texas

A look at a GameStop store in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Emily swung by this GameStop store while in San Antonio earlier this year.

GameStop is the largest video game retailer in the world - however, it's never had much of a footprint in the UK, with the last of the few stores here closing back in 2012.

According to Wikipedia there are currently 3,203 stores around the world, with 2,325 in the USA.

Holey Moley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas

A visit to the Holey Moley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas.

Emily recently swung by Holey Moley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Holey Moley Golf Club in San Antonio is home to three 9-hole indoor mini golf courses.

You can find Holey Moley Golf Club venues in California (Irvine Spectrum, San Francisco & Santa Monica), Colorado (Denver), and Texas (Austin, Houston & San Antonio). The Holey Moley brand began in Australia and you can find several locations there.

Check out the Holey Moley Golf Club website for more information.

Toys R Us at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Spotting a Toys R Us store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Emily spotted this sign for the Toys R Us store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a trip to the USA earlier this year.

The store was in Terminal A, but Emily was at Terminal D

As well as this airport store, you can find Toys R Us stores within Macy's department stores in the USA, plus locations at two flagship stores at malls in New Jersey and Minnesota.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of the shops here closed. In the USA there were more than 700 stores, with the final ones closing in June 2018 after 70 years of operating.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Toys R Us at Macy's in the USA

A look at a Toys R Us at a Macy's department store in Fort Worth, Texas.

Emily spotted this Toys R Us store while on a trip to Texas earlier this year.

This is one of over 450 Toys R Us stores you can find within Macy's in the USA.

As well as the Macy's department stores versions of Toys R Us, you can also find a Toys R Us at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, plus locations at two flagship stores at malls in New Jersey and Minnesota.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of the shops here closed. In the USA there were more than 700 stores, with the final ones closing in June 2018 after 70 years of operating.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

A minigolf scorecard from Texas

A look at a minigolf scorecard from Texas.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf scorecard from Christopher Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA.

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A minigolf pencil from Texas

A look at a minigolf pencil from Texas.

From the Crazy Golf Museum vaults - a minigolf pencil from Christopher Gottfried's Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA.

A minigolf pencil from Texas

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA

A look at the Magic Carpet Golf courses in Galveston, Texas, USA.

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

 

My brother, and charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, Christopher and his family recently played the two courses at Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas, USA.

A scorecard from Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

A big minigolf windmill

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

A minigolf toilet!

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

A giant conch

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas

A minigolf sign

What to do at the lucky last hole

Frog's mouth

Check out the Magic Carpet Golf website for more information on the venue and its two 18-hole miniature golf courses.

Miniature Golf Rules

The Magic Carpet Golf courses were the 1,008th and 1,009th visited overall on our combined Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Together we've now been to 1,010 courses since September 2006. The latest being the grass Putting Course at Northcliff Park in Shipley, England.

Mini Golf at the 7 Acre Wood Petting Zoo in Conroe, Texas, USA

A look at the Mini Golf course at the 7 Acre Wood Petting Zoo in Conroe, Texas, USA.

The 7 Acre Wood Petting Zoo has a 9-hole Mini Golf course

A big thanks to my friend PJ Goedhals for sending over some photos from the miniature golf course he found on a recent trip to the 7 Acre Wood Petting Zoo in Conroe, Texas, USA.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

The course was free to play after the $6 entry fee to the petting zoo was paid.

An interestingly shaped hole

Check out the 7 Acre Wood Petting Zoo website for more information.